Enjoy Life, Enjoy God

ORDER ORDERS

January 27, 2011

It can be sobering to a person when someone tells him/her, "Put your affairs in order."

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be...
                                                   - Titus 1:5,6 TNIV

Like it or not, the church needs order.  Here in the early vision of the church, the Apostle issues orders to Titus to organize the churches by appointing elders. That's a given; order that is. However, he goes one step further. He goes on to give an order as to what elders look like: he describes their character, the manner of life, their godliness, and the increasing desire to conform to Christ's leadership.

Order happens when we come under the orders of the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ. The elders are not the ones so much appointed, but they were appointed because of who they are and how they act. A goal might be that all of us would not only aspire to, but by our actions pursue, the life on an elder.

Joyfully,

Dale Patterson